Smart Doorbells Give You Peace of Mind
No matter whether you’re curled up on the couch binge-watching your favorite TV show or working from home, a smart doorbell can give you peace of mind by showing you who is outside your doorstep. These devices can also help deter porch pirates and package thieves.
Look for options that offer a free, cloud-based subscription to review historical recordings. You should find a model that offers a minimum of 30 days of storage.
Real-time video
A smart doorbell with real-time video can give you peace of mind while you are away from home. It can send a notification to your smartphone when someone is at your door, so you can see who they are and speak with them. It also helps protect your home from porch pirates and other unwanted visitors.
A good choice for homeowners or renters is the RemoBell S, which has a high-resolution camera with HDR and a wide field of view. The device is powered by existing doorbell wires and works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. It offers a host of features, including monitoring zones; a night light for color night vision; three-second video previews; and facial recognition. It also uses built-in memory instead of a cloud subscription, which is more secure and reduces data usage.
If you don’t want to pay a monthly subscription fee, you can opt for Ring’s Doorbell Camera with 24/7 monitoring for $10 smart doorbell per month or $100 annually. The device has a clear image with motion detection, and it can send alerts to your smartphone and tablet. It also has a feature that lets you see the path a person or pet took to your door, which could be useful in preventing false alarms. It also offers a number of other smart features, such as two-way audio and voice control.
Two-way audio
As with other smart home gadgets, the biggest draw of a smart doorbell is that it lets you know who’s outside your door – even when you can’t be there to answer it. Also known as connected or video doorbells, they send a notification to your smartphone and often include a live stream and the option for two-way audio. Some can record the person ringing the bell for later viewing, too.
Many of the top-rated models we’ve reviewed feature motion sensors, allowing them to record the moment someone approaches your door. You can then check the footage in a dedicated app on your phone or tablet, or even your Apple TV. Some even have fancy features such as face recognition and parcel detection so you can see when a courier drops off a package.
If you’re worried about privacy, look for a model that has two-way audio and the ability to turn off the camera when not answering the door. This will ensure you don’t unintentionally leave the camera active in case you have a stranger outside your front door.
The top-rated smart doorbells we’ve tested are the Ring Pro, SimpliSafe and Lorex. The former has the best overall performance in our tests, with excellent scores for video quality and data security. The latter is more affordable but still has impressive alert and load time ratings, as well as a high-resolution camera and a solid array of smart features.
Notifications
A smart doorbell can keep tabs on your porch, helping you keep an eye out for visitors and deliveries. The video camera captures a clip every time the button is pushed or motion is detected and notifies you on your smartphone. You can also customize notifications so you’ll receive alerts when family, friends, or neighbors visit.
Most smart doorbells can work with existing chime systems as well as Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. Some even have built-in chime speakers. For instance, the RemoBell S can integrate with Amazon Echo and Google Assistant devices to notify you of visitors, or you can use an Arlo plug-in chime that comes with a choice of ringtones for $50.
To get started, navigate to your device’s settings and select the motion detection option. There you’ll find a series of toggles for people, pets, packages, and cars. The first toggle is for notifications – flip it on to enable them, and your doorbell will record and notify you whenever they occur.
To reduce the number of notifications, you can customize your motion capture range and zone. You can also set a schedule for when you want to receive notifications by tapping the notification icon and selecting a time frame. Lastly, you can snooze motion alerts, preventing them from popping up when your kids run past or a wind blows through the leaves of your garden.
Installation
A smart doorbell connects to your home’s WiFi and lets you know when someone is at the door. It also records visitor activity to give you smart doorbell peace of mind, even if you’re not at home. Many big name brands like Ring, Google’s Nest and Eufy offer doorbell cameras with features such as real-time video and two-way audio.
When a visitor presses the button or motion is detected by the camera, an alert is sent to your smartphone or other connected devices via your home WiFi. You can then choose to accept or ignore the visit, or to answer it with voice command using your Alexa device. You can customize your doorbell settings to choose what you want to be notified of, such as the motion sensitivity (you can play with this setting so rustling trees and passing cars don’t trigger a recording), and the video recording length.
Some smart doorbells require a subscription to use their features, such as Nest Hello’s $230 price tag with Nest Aware functionality and 5/10/30 days of video storage. Other options include Arlo’s $150 doorbell with built-in HD camera and video recording for free, or a Ring doorbell with camera for as little as $100. Most models work with your choice of smart displays and speakers, including Amazon Echo and Samsung SmartThings.
